Birdwatching during the third week of November.

Winter Arrives Early—and Fierce—in the Abode of the Gods

Abuites will remember November 2025 as a month that rewrote Mount Abu’s weather script. For the first time in over a decade, temperatures plunged well below freezing. On November 18, the mercury dipped to –2°C, only to fall further to a biting –6°C the very next day. After a harrowing and erratic monsoon season, this sudden, severe winter felt almost surreal—yet refreshing. The forests seemed to exhale, relieved by the cold’s crisp certainty.

As always, the weather sets the stage for what draws me outdoors: the birds.

With winter tightening its grip, Mount Abu’s avian world came alive. Raptors ruled the skies, warblers whispered from the undergrowth, and the hills echoed with the quiet promise of a season in full swing. While I didn’t photograph as many individuals as I’d hoped—frozen fingers and fleeting light had their say—the sightings themselves were rewarding.

 Highlights of the Week

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus

Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo

Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus

 Common Buzzard — a reassuring winter presence, soaring above the ridgelines.

Long-legged Buzzard — elegant and imposing, a true monarch of open skies.

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) — a thrilling encounter with speed and precision incarnate.

Hume’s Warbler — subtle, secretive, and always a delight to pick out.

Sulphur-bellied Warbler — a lively splash of colour amid the winter browns.

These few captures may not reflect the full scale of what the week offered, but they represent the essence of November birding in Mount Abu: raw cold, clear light, and birds at home in it. Winter has announced itself early this year—and for birders, it has done so with unforgettable flair.

Bird of the Week.

Sulphur-bellied Warbler - Phylloscopus griseolus winter visitor.

Sulphur-bellied Warbler - Phylloscopus griseolus winter visitor. .mp4

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Ashy Prinia - Prinia socialis

Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo winter visitor

Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo winter visitor

Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo winter visitor

Common Buzzard - Buteo buteo winter visitor

Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea winter visitor

Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea winter visitor

Gray Wagtail - Motacilla cinerea winter visitor

Hume's Warbler - Phylloscopus humei  Winter visitor

Hume's Warbler - Phylloscopus humei  Winter visitor

Jungle Babbler - Turdoides striata

Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus winter visitor

Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus winter visitor

Long-legged Buzzard - Buteo rufinus winter visitor

Long-tailed Shrike - Lanius schach 

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus 

Peregrine Falcon (Shaheen) Falco peregrinus 

Rose-ringed Parakeet - Psittacula krameri

Shikra - Accipiter badius

Spotted Dove - Streptopelia chinensis

Swallows sp  mixed bag